BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) – Police are trying to identify several good Samaritans who stopped to help a woman who suffered a medical episode in the middle of a busy intersection in Boynton Beach.
Traffic camera video captured the righteous act of the group springing into action to help the woman at the intersection of Woolbright Road and Congress Avenue, Thursday.
“There’s a car. I think there’s an incapacitated driver,” a woman told the 911 dispatcher.
According to Boynton Beach Police, the woman had passed out behind the wheel due to a medical episode.
As her car slowly rolled into the intersection, one of her co-workers, who was in another car, raced across the street waving her arms to flag down other motorists.
“Her co-worker sees that she is slumped over the steering wheel,” said Boynton Beach Police spokesperson Stephanie Slate. “Her co-worker then gets out of her car and starts running after the vehicle that was moving slowly through the intersection.”
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Juan Chavez, another driver who was waiting at the light, saw the vehicle and the co-worker waving her arms.
“Initially I just thought someone was just driving like a South Floridian,” he said.
Chavez said it didn’t take him long to realize something was wrong.
“When I heard her say, ‘She’s unconscious, she’s unconscious,’ that’s when I was like, ‘I have to do something,'” he said.
Chavez got out of his car and ran over to help. Moments later, another man in the turn lane joined him, followed by two other men. They worked together to stop the moving car.
Meanwhile, other drivers called 911.
“The car’s moving,” said a caller.
“They were physically using their bodies to stop the car from rolling,” said Slater.
One of the good Samaritans tried to break the window with his fist while everyone else tried to keep the vehicle still.
Eventually, a woman grabbed a dumbbell from her car, which a man then used to smash the rear passenger’s side window. Another man then climbed through the window to unlock the passenger’s side door.
The car was then put in park and the group pushed it to a nearby 7-Eleven parking lot, where a nurse on the phone with 911 provided medical attention until the fire department arrived.
“OK, she is breathing. She’s starting to wake up,” the nurse told the 911 dispatcher.
Wednesday night, 7News showed the video of the rescue to Alana Frey, the daughter of Laurie Rabyor, the woman who passed out.
“I was just dumbfounded. I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what?'” said Frey.
Frey said her mother likely had a reaction to medication and had not eaten.
Regarding the good Samaritans’ actions, Rabyor’s daughter said, “It was awesome and scary at the same time. I’m so grateful for every single one of them.”
“My parents have always taught me to help anybody in need and be nice to everyone, ’cause you don’t know what someone’s going through,” said Chavez.
Police would like to honor the good Samaritans, as well as reunite the group with Rabyor.
“Complete strangers would just get out of their cars and help someone. This is a perfect example of community working together to help each other,” said Slater.
Frey said her mother is doing fine.
If you or someone you know is in this video or helped in any way, please contact Slater at slaters@bbfl.us.
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